Archive for July 2017

Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin behave like the best of buddies

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Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin behave like the best of buddies

ON JULY 21st three Chinese warships sailed into the Baltic Sea for China’s first war games in those waters with Russia’s fleet. The two powers wanted to send a message to America and to audiences at home: we are united in opposing the West’s domination, and we are not afraid to show off our muscle in NATO’s backyard. The war games were also intended to show how close the friendship between China and Russia has become—so much has changed since the days of bitter cold-war enmity that endured between them from the 1960s to the 1980s.

There has been an abundance of such symbolism in recent weeks. On his way to this month’s meeting in Germany of leaders from the G20 group of countries, China’s president, Xi Jinping, stopped off in Moscow. There his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, hung an elaborate medallion around his neck: the Order of St Andrew, Russia’s highest state award. At the G20 (where they are pictured), “only two leaders in the world exuded calm confidence,”...Continue reading

Source: China http://ift.tt/2h5Xr11

HSBC plans £2bn share buyback after profits soar

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HSBC plans £2bn share buyback after profits soar


HSBC’S turnaround gathered momentum as it stepped up returns to shareholders and posted forecast-beating half-year profits, sending its shares to a four-year high.

Source: Daily Express :: Finance Feed http://ift.tt/2vZnRFh

The ousting of Anthony Scaramucci will not restore order to the White House

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The ousting of Anthony Scaramucci will not restore order to the White House

In the 64 years during which American presidents have appointed national security advisers, nobody had less time in the post than Donald Trump’s first pick: Michael Flynn, who left in February after just 24 brutal, scandal-filled days. In the 71 years since Harry Truman made John Steelman the first White House chief of staff, nobody except Pete Rouse—an interim choice of Barack Obama’s—had a shorter stint than Reince Priebus, who resigned last Thursday after just over six months.

Even by those standards, Anthony Scaramucci’s tenure as White House communications director was brief: he was ousted in the afternoon of July 31st, his eleventh day.

Mr Priebus’s dismissal seemed almost inevitable. He is a mild-mannered Wisconsinite unrelated to the president who rose through Republican party ranks and urged Mr Trump to drop out of the presidential race after a tape surfaced in which the then-candidate boasted that he grabbed women’d genitals. But Mr Scaramucci is much Trumpier. A nattily-dressed, self-made millionaire...Continue reading

Source: United States http://ift.tt/2tSp4Nm

ESSATI firms shut door on angry customers

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ESSATI firms shut door on angry customers


The scandal of bust garage doors company Essati and its rogue warranties, which have left scores of furious customers out of pocket, has now claimed another victim.

Source: Daily Express :: Finance Feed http://ift.tt/2ud0y93

Ukrainian immigrants are powering Poland’s economy

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Ukrainian immigrants are powering Poland’s economy

POLAND’S most literal labour market begins shortly after dawn. About 30 women and a similar number of men wait in separate groups beside a road half an hour’s drive south of Warsaw. The eager crane their necks to search for cars, the more resigned pace and smoke. When a Volvo pulls up they dash towards it, awaiting offers of work. The youngest is 20, the oldest a gap-toothed 53-year-old. All are Ukrainian.

The number of Ukrainians in Poland has soared since fighting began in eastern Ukraine in 2014. Around 1m are estimated to be working in Poland at any time. Most did not flee the war but its economic consequences: a recession that lasted two years, unemployment and a plunging currency.

They can earn five times more than at home, picking tomatoes, mixing cement or driving for Uber, the ride-sharing firm. Companies can register them to work for six months at a time, but some, like those at the roadside, work illegally. Ivan, 28, glugs an energy drink as he waits...Continue reading

Souce: Europe http://ift.tt/2wdTUR6

Millions of women hit by pensions gender gap

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Millions of women hit by pensions gender gap


THE BBC IS IN turmoil as furious female stars demand an end to the gender pay gap but this is not the only example of women falling behind men financially.

Source: Daily Express :: Finance Feed http://ift.tt/2vUNTJJ
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